Multi-center test-retest repeatability and reproducibility of in-vivo renal diffusion MRI measurements: preliminary findings

Motivation: As part of multi-parametric renal MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a promising technique for the characterization of renal pathologies, however reliability of diffusion parameters is often hindered by lack of multi-center standardization. Goal(s): To assess repeatability and reproducibility of DWI parameters. Approach: 32 healthy volunteers were scanned in two sites using 3T MRI systems to assess kidney diffusion metrics (D,D*,F and ADC). Subjects were scanned twice on the same day for repeatability and after 7-14 days for reproducibility. Results: All diffusion metrics were consistent across scans with D, D* and ADC showing excellent repeatability and reproducibility. Impact: This study supports the reliability of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in multi-center studies and demonstrates excellent repeatability and reproducibility of diffusion parameters.